Various diseases and conditions are known which are treated by the removal of tissue. Some specific examples include prostate diseases such as prostatitis, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), prostatodynia, and prostate carcinoma, which afflict many adult males. The largest population of men stricken with prostate problems is men over age fifty, although inherited prostate problems can appear in much younger men.
Unfortunately, therapeutic options for the above and many other diseases are limited, and many surgical options are invasive to neighboring tissue. For example, according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,274, surgical treatment of BPH is the most common surgery of men in the developed countries of the world, and the most common prostate surgery involves trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP), which is accomplished by resecting the prostatic tissues surrounding the urethra that cause obstruction. Unfortunately, although highly effective in reducing obstructions, the dominant mechanism behind TURP is the progressive coring-out of the prostate, beginning at the level of the urethra and progressing outward into the prostatic capsule. Hence, this surgical procedure is destructive to the urethra and carries various complications including urinary incontinence, retrograde ejaculation, and impotence.